The King and Queen open exhibitions at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities

Motiv: The King and Queen at the opening of the jubilee exhibitions at Stockholm's Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. Photo: Stella Pictures

On Saturday 25 May, The King and Queen opened the jubilee exhibitions King Gustaf VI Adolf's Gift to the People of Sweden and The Warrior Queen and the Bronze Age of China at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm.

The King and Queen were welcomed by Sanne Houby Nielsen, Director General of the National Museums of World Culture, and Michel Lee, Curator of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. The opening of the two exhibitions marked the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the museum, which was opened in 1963 at the Swedish Navy's former arsenal on Skeppsholmen. Director General Sanne Houby Nielsen gave a welcoming address, after which Deputy Director Baohua Dong from China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage also gave a speech. The King gave the opening speech, in which he said: "The insight into the future gained by knowledge of history was a guiding principle for King Gustaf VI Adolf in his efforts to safeguard and preserve cultural heritage. In the 1950s, when the plans for a new museum were first drawn up, he had also started to collect Chinese crafts. Through his great interest, he was closely involved in the two bodies that were combined in 1973 to form the new Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. King Gustaf VI Adolf's passion for collecting continued until his death in 1973."

King Gustaf VI Adolf during a journey to Japan in 1926. Here, he studies antiquities on display in Ishiyama. This is one of several photographs on loan to the exhibition King Gustaf VI Adolf's Gift to the People of Sweden. Photo from the Bernadotte Library's image archive.

The exhibition King Gustaf VI Adolf's Gift to the People of Sweden details the King's role as a collector and connoisseur of Asian art, and the part he played in the creation of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. The exhibition paints a picture of early East-West encounters and King Gustaf VI Adolf's significance in building relationships between Sweden and the Far East. The exhibition The Warrior Queen and the Bronze Age of China includes artefacts loaned by seven Chinese museums in Henan Province, depicting 4,000-year-old rites, human sacrifices and warfare. Find out more about the exhibition and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities here. Find out more about the Bernadotte Library here.